“What makes you think Dave’s a pessimist?”

“The way he describes personal possessions. He has a tornado watch, a hurricane lantern, a doomsday clock, and a drop-chute to a fallout shelter with enough survivalist rations to last a decade.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“He’s an insurance actuary.”

John H. Dromey has had short fiction, humor, and poetry published in many different venues.